Statement from the Executive Director
The death of Colombian immigrant Joan Sebastian Guerrero from a shooting by an ICE agent in downtown Biddeford has shaken our community.
Our thoughts are with Joan’s family and loved ones, and with everyone in our community who is feeling fear, sadness, anger, or uncertainty today.
Heart of Biddeford joins the growing call for a full, transparent, and independent accounting of what happened. When government uses deadly force, accountability and public trust are essential.
We will not all agree on every policy question. But we hope we can agree on this: the loss of a human life is a tragedy, our immigrant neighbors deserve to be treated with dignity, and every person in our community deserves to feel safe.
Biddeford has always been shaped by people who came here to build a better life. More than a century ago, immigrants helped build this city. When fear threatened to divide our community (including when the Ku Klux Klan sought to intimidate Biddeford’s immigrant neighborhoods in 1924), our neighbors chose one another instead.
In the past day, we’ve seen another story unfold. We’ve seen neighbors hugging on the sidewalks, businesses supporting employees, and hundreds gathering. Those acts of care are every bit as much a part of Biddeford as this tragedy.
For that reason, Heart of Biddeford will continue with Music in the Park and Art Walk this week. Not because everything is okay, but because community matters most when things aren’t okay. We hope these gatherings can be places where people reconnect, support one another, and remember that none of us has to carry this alone.
We hope you will take care of yourself in whatever way you need right now. We’ve learned that the City of Biddeford is partnering with Sweetser to offer individual support sessions to process this tragedy on Tuesday, July 14, 6-9 p.m. at J.R. Martin Community Center and Wednesday, July 15, 9 a.m.-Noon at The Reach. They are open to anyone who has been affected in the community and no appointment is necessary. The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition has information for those seeking to support immigrant families or learn more about immigrant rights.
Heart of Biddeford wants you to know: If you’re looking for community, you belong here.